


The Ways They’re Different

by Gallavich4ever



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evan takes care of Connor, Flashbacks, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Treebros, traumatic shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 20:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallavich4ever/pseuds/Gallavich4ever
Summary: Miguel and Evan are two very different people. Connor can think of a lot more than just five things that are different about them, but he decides that just five will do.The one thing they have in common? They’ve both been his boyfriend.ORFive times Miguel abused Connor and five times that Evan took care of him.
Relationships: Evan Hansen/Connor Murphy, Miguel/Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Ways They’re Different

**Author's Note:**

> So I really wanted to do this cause I just kind of wanted to explore Connor in a domestic violence situation followed by Connor several years later in a healthy relationship because hell with it: 12/10 writing material. This will have five chapters and five chapters only HOWEVER if you guys would like a series set in the universe please let me know.
> 
> Also please heed the tags!
> 
> Enjoy!

**1\. Mornings with Miguel were terrifying; mornings with Evan feel safe.**

Miguel  
“WAKE UP YOU STUPID FUCKER! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST IS SLEEPING ALL YOU’RE GONNA DO ALL THE GODDAMN TIME?!” A fist to the face, then he’s being grabbed and shaken roughly and abruptly awake. Miguel tosses him out of the bed, and he hits the floor with a loud thump and a sharp cry of pain and fear. He tries to crawl away, tries to escape, but Miguel grabs him by the shirt, yanks him upright, slams him against the wall. Another cry of pain. In his still half asleep state, he starts to claw at the hands keeping him pinned to the wall. The hands move to his throat, choking him. Strangling him.

“Don’t you EVER wake up after me again you little SHIT! YOU UNDERSTAND ME! I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! ANSWER ME FUCKER!”

Miguel seems to have forgotten he can’t breathe. He tries his hardest to squeak out an answer, to breathe, but he can’t. 

“FUCKING PATHETIC!” He’s lifted off the wall, then slammed against it again, but finally Miguel lets go of his throat and lets him fall to the ground in a ball of tears and frantic, panicked breaths. “Go fucking clean up and make me breakfast before I THROW YOU DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS AGAIN!”

He scrambles to comply. The shower is cold because Miguel will kill him if he uses hot water and brings up the water bill, but it’s safe in the bathroom because the door locks and Miguel can’t get him in here. The bathroom, sadly, is his favorite part of the house for this sole reason alone. 

He sobs in the shower, but not for long because Miguel will kill him if breakfast isn’t started soon. He takes ten minutes, changes into his usual clothes, and scurries downstairs to make breakfast.

It isn’t until Miguel leaves for work an hour later that he allows himself to breakdown and truly cry.

~~~

Evan  
“Angel? Baby I’m sorry to wake you up, but I just decided maybe you might like breakfast in bed. I even made orange juice the natural way, just like how you like it. See?”

A tray left on the bedside table, a gentle stroke on the cheek, and a sweet man apologizing for waking him up, of all things. He wants to say that there are far worse ways that he’s been woken up from sleep. He has the bruises and scars and startle reflexes honed in him from Miguel to prove that, but he doesn’t want to bring the mood down. Instead he smiles, sitting up and taking the cup of OJ in his hands. “Thank you,” he replies just as softly. 

“Of _course,_ angel. Is there anything else I can get you? You were having nightmares and tossing and turning last night so I’m totally willing to draw you a bath? Or we can watch your favorite? The Notebook? What do you want to do today, angel?”

“Any of it. All of it. Everything you want,” he replies. Because Evan is safe, and he’s also had it drilled into him by the blonde himself that anything he’ll ever want to do is also safe.

“I _did_ think of the Titanic, but that’s a bit too sad for you and I don’t like making you cry,” Evan’s tone is still soft as he perches on the edge of the bed, watching him eat.

He feels touched in a good way. He always does when Evan just sits there and watches. Evan isn’t one for sudden movements, but he’s especially mindful of how he moves around and interacts with him, because of the abuse from Miguel. Evan’s always so careful with him, and he adores every second of it.

“I’m glad you don’t like making me cry...not the way _he_ did,” he sighs at the concerned look on Evan’s face. Evan knows quite a few stories about what happened to him when he was dating Miguel, but he doesn’t know all of them, and he always looks so concerned anytime it’s brought up. “Sorry. I brought the mood down didn’t I?”

“Of _course_ not, angel,” Evan coos, slowly sliding his hand over, palm raised up and the back of his hand firmly lying on the bed. Evan’s learned that he doesn’t appreciate fists or an open palm in the air, even for innocent reasons. He hasn’t made either of those gestures since the beginning of their relationship, back when he didn’t know yet what had happened to him. “The nightmares...were they about him? You know you can talk about it to me if you’d like, but you never have to.”

He puts the glass of OJ aside, calmly reaching over to take Evan’s hand as he considers the suggestion. Evan only ever makes requests, never demands. Evan’s learned he doesn’t like those much and they trigger flashbacks, and besides, the blonde isn’t the most confrontational of people in any case. After a moment, he nods before looking over at Evan.

“He used to wake me up too,” he says quietly. “Not the way you do, though. You do it nice and gentle and sweet like I ask you too. He-he was rough. He’d grab me and throw me off the bed then beat me up and threaten me. I’d shower in cold water and then make breakfast for him and every morning it was the same. It-it never changed. It never changed until I left.” He gulps, clutching Evan’s hand tightly in his own as he waits for a response.

“Nobody will ever wake you like that again, angel,” Evan promises. “You’re safe here. So safe. And you always will be. Okay?”

He smiles lightly, and nods. “Okay,” he says simply. Because as scary as it was, and despite the fact that he’ll probably have flashbacks about it for the rest of his life, he believes Evan. 

Connor will always believe Evan, no matter what life throws his way.


End file.
